Remembering the legacy of Chuck Hughes, the only NFL player to die on-field due to a heart attack

NFL fans across the world were anticipating an exciting Monday Night Football clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, but the excitement quickly turned to horror for those tuning in.

Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin went down after the tackle, rose to his feet then collapsed a few seconds later. He received treatment on the field before being rushed to a local hospital, with the game immediately being postponed.

Stephen A Smith

@stephenasmith

Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin and his family.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin and his family. https://t.co/eKkc5GfkPz

Some older NFL fans may remember the last time an event like this took place. Back in 1971, Chuck Hughes became the first and so far only player in NFL history to die on-field due to a heart attack.

The wide receiver, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions, was playing for Detroit against the Chicago Bears when the incident took place.

After a strong hit a few plays earlier, Hughes collapsed off the ball a few plays later. Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus immediately signaled for assistance from the sidelines.

An ambulance was called but Hughes was pronounced dead at 5:34 pm on October 24, 1971. He was just 28 years old.

Inexplicably, the Bears and Lions finished the rest of the game, possibly due to the pressure exerted by the NFL, despite no one knowing Hughes' status at the time.

Last night, thankfully, both the Bills and Bengals agreed that the correct thing to do was to postpone the game immediately after the incident.

NFL

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Hughes' postmortem examination revealed that one of his arteries was 75% clogged and that his family had a history of heart problems. A blood clot broke loose in his artery, preventing the heart from receiving blood. This could have caused the hit he had taken a few plays before he collapsed.

Hughes' widow filed a $21.5 million malpractice lawsuit against Henry Ford Hospital in 1972 for not diagnosing his condition when he was hospitalized after complaining of chest pains before his death. The lawsuit was settled with an undisclosed payout in 1974.

Steve Deace

@SteveDeaceShow

The last time a NFL player died on the field from a cardiac event was Chuck Hughes in 1971. But that was a very different time. In that era, coaches smoked on the sidelines in-game. Players smoked, even at halftime of the Super Bowl.

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The last time a NFL player died on the field from a cardiac event was Chuck Hughes in 1971. But that was a very different time. In that era, coaches smoked on the sidelines in-game. Players smoked, even at halftime of the Super Bowl. https://t.co/jTfn6YqGWx

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